Corporate recruiters seek new employees at Tuskegee

10/5/2012

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (October 5, 2012) — Employers from more than 80 companies came to the university in pursuit of talent during the 33rd Annual Career Fair. Recruiters and human resources representatives met with students at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Tuskegee University Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The annual event, held by Career Development and Placement Services, overtook much of the hotel as large crowds of students packed hallways to visit employer booths and get information about opportunities or be informally interviewed.

Kim Seidl, a recruiter at United Technologies, said she was impressed with the students that she met during the fair. She said her company was in search of interns and co-op students, preferably with an engineering or materials science background.

“I’m excited. I’ve got a pile of resumes that we want to set up interviews for right away,” Seidl said with a smile. “So, definitely finding the talent that we’re looking for.”

Betty Scott, a human resources recruiter from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, said she was in search of engineering and accounting students with good communication and technical skills. She said Tuskegee students were good candidates for her organization.

“The students have the qualifications we’re looking for. They have a good curriculum that we like and that’s what we try to target,” Scott said.

While some recruiters were looking for more specified majors, many representatives were hoping to meet students from several different backgrounds. James A. Little, Jr., an agricultural specialist within the customs and border protection division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is a 2001 Tuskegee graduate who got his first job at one of the university’s career fairs. He said he is interested in students with majors such as agriculture, environmental science, animal science, business and criminal justice.

“We are looking for students from a vast number of majors. And, we are looking for the best,” Little said.

Professional advice

Junior electrical engineering major, Bria Evans, said she wanted to get an inside look at some of the companies present and saw the career fair as a way to help her build her professional network for future job hunting. She met with several companies during the morning, including Chevron, Pepsico and Raytheon. She said meeting with the company reps was a positive learning experience.

“One company that stuck out was Raytheon. They took so much time with me in really breaking down my resume,” said Evans, a native of Bowie, Md. “They really gave me professional criticism… It really helped me to better present myself to these companies.”

Gerald Reynolds, a sophomore finance major from Los Angeles, said he was looking for a summer internship at the fair. Standing in front of the Aflac table, he said he got some good tips from meeting with companies and learned that preparation is vital to landing a position.

“It’s about the way you present yourself, how you talk, how you stand and knowing exactly how to sell yourself to a company,” Reynolds said.